THE ORIGIN OF THE SUEZ CANAL. 119 



government will support me should I require such 

 support, and even now, while the ambassador at Con- 

 stantinople has been instructed to advise the Porte in 

 favour of the enterprise, Count Walewski informed 

 Fuad Pasha, previous to his departure for London, that 

 the Emperor took particular interest in the Suez Canal, 

 and was anxious to see the Sultan give a token of initia- 

 tive and independence in the matter, and that the course 

 which Turkey had so far pursued in the matter was, in 

 fact, felt by France to be ground for just complaint." 



To M. de Regny, Interim Agent in Egypt. 



"PAKis, January 1, 1859. 



" The constitution of the financial company, which 

 will carry out the making of the Suez Canal, has 

 brought the year 1858 to a very satisfactory close, but 

 we must be prepared for a struggle even more severe 

 than any of those which have gone before, for the 

 hostility of the English Government seems to have 

 been exacerbated by the success of our subscription. 

 Our adversaries are beginning to reproach me with 

 having composed the administration exclusively of 

 relatives and friends, to the exclusion of great finan- 

 ciers, but my reply to this is that one gets on best in 

 business with friends and not with enemies, and that 

 to fight these latter I could not well select my col- 

 leagues to suit their convenience. 



" Then, again, they are trying to undermine the 

 confidence of my supporters by dwelling upon the 



